Shattering
by Magma-Dragoon
Summary: Metalbending was Toph's greatest accomplishment as an earthbender. It was only natural that the avatar would try to mimic it, but how exactly will that affect his blind master? Her reaction might not be as pleasant as Aang expected.
1. Chapter 1

Hey there you!

**A/N:**_ I'd never considered writing for Avatar, but this fic just sort of happened... I didn't see it coming but it came, I wouldn't let it grow old in my computer so I decided posting it just to see how I fare outside of what I'm used to. Sorry for those who are waiting for my updates... I really have little time to write right now. I'm not kidding when I say this story just popped out of nowhere. Not only that... but a chapter from my CCS fic takes at least ten times more than this considering the complex plot. If you don't know and don't care about any of that, I'm sorry for delaying you._

_This story doesn't take place at any specific time in the series, you just take the facts and try to see where it fits best in your taste. The most I can say is that it happens during Book Three. _

**Disclaimer: I most obviously do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. As a matter of fact, I don't even know who owns it exactly... Does Nickelodeon qualifies as 'owner'? Or are those two guys whose names I keep forgetting the ones? Hum... I'll ponder on that.**

I'll fill you in with the basics:

"Character Talking"

Character Thinking 

And the story:

**Avatar: The Last Airbender:**_ Shattering _

"I did it! I did it!" Aang shouted as he made his way back to camp.

As he expected, his friends were there, cooking up dinner. His training with Toph had lasted longer than usual that day and it was already nighttime He didn't care though, it had been worth it.

Katara and Sokka curiously watched the airbender leaping and looping around while celebrating something they didn't quite understand. They also noticed that Toph was following him. She wasn't quite jumping from joy, but she seemed content enough.

When Aang finally reached them, the Water Tribe siblings gathered around him with curious eyes. "What's gotten into you?" Sokka asked the excited boy. "Did Toph teach you some crazy new earthbending move or something?"

Aang's smile gave a subtle, but clear enough, hint of a falter. "Uh... Sort of..." It didn't escape Sokka and Katara the quick glance he gave to Toph, who wasn't paying him any attention. She seemed to be more concerned about the inviting smell coming from the fire.

Sokka raised his eyebrow "Sort of..." He repeated, not feeling quite satisfied. "And by that you mean..."

"Well..." Aang let one more glance at the earthbender escape. He seemed bothered by something.

Katara was quick to pick up on that. _Why is Aang so uncomfortable about Toph?_ She didn't notice Toph acting strange in any way ever since they'd arrived, but then again, the blind girl wasn't just about to turn into someone who actually shows her feelings, and it did seem as if she was making a point not to join them. She thought it would be best to let Aang sort it out on his own for now. She wasn't even sure if there was anything to be sorted out after all.

"Go on, Aang. You made us curious now." The waterbender said with a wide grin on, trying to show the young Avatar that she had no intention of sticking her nose in his business.

At that, Aang regained his composure, apparently deciding to ignore Toph. "Sorry." He said, sporting a sheepish smile. He reached into one of the pockets of the Fire Nation school uniform he was wearing. "Ok, check this out." He produced a little ball out of his pocket. It wasn't much larger than a a couple of inches in diameter. It was of a very dark color and had a rough, irregular surface.

"It's a ball, right, very impressive." Sokka said, starting to get impatient. "You're not gonna make it disappear and appear behind my ear are you?" He asked sarcastically. "Cause I've seen that one before."

"Of course not." Aang answered, missing the sarcasm. He seemed very excited now that he was about to show his accomplishment. "Look." He closed his palm around the little ball, barely involving it completely, and pressed hard. "Just have to push a little harder..." He said, his voice altered by the effort he was making on the ball.

The siblings watched anxiously expecting something to happen. Aang was obviously getting nowhere with his attempt. Soon he'd be making a fool of himself.

The boy didn't let himself be defeated by the ball and started using both hands to try and crush it. His face was starting to change colors. From pink to red, from red to purple. Katara didn't want to find out what came next. "Are you ok, Aang?" She asked the boy.

"Just a bit harder!" Aang gave one final push on the ball and dropped it on the floor. He immediately put his hands on his thighs for support while panting for air.

"I'm to assume you were trying to bend that chunk of metal." Sokka was unimpressed. "Better luck next time buddy..." He said, feeling somewhat sorry for the boy who had been so excited about that a while ago.

"Look at it..." The little monk said, pointing to the ball on the ground in between pants.

Sokka stared at the little piece of metal. "Hm?" He raised an eyebrow. "What about it?" He picked it up for closer inspection, Katara joined him. "No way!" Both siblings' eyes widened. In both sides of the metal ore, where once there was nothing but rough surface, two hand shaped dents were carved. Both of them with a very smooth surface.

Katara stared at the ore in disbelief. "I can't believe it."

Aang smiled proudly at the piece of metal. "I know... It just happened. I had no idea I could do that."

Sokka smirked. "It just happened? You mean during one of your routine 'pressing insanely against a chunk of metal' sessions? Cause I gotta tell you, mine aren't usually this productive."

Aang blushed. "Well..."

Sokka immediately put an arm around the boy's shoulder. "Don't be afraid to admit it my young Avatar. You've just become a metalbender..." He looked up as if reconsidering his words. "Apprentice."

"Pff..." The unnecessarily loud sound from the earthbender who had so far remained quiet earned everybody's attention. She was still there at her corner, sitting near the fire with her back to them and apparently doing nothing.

Sokka was lost. He didn't realize what was causing Toph to frown like that. Aang seemed to be aware of it, but he clearly wished he wasn't. The only one to try and question the blind girl was, as usual, Katara.

"Is something wrong, Toph?" She asked, making sure she sounded as calm as possible, even though she knew that an angry discussion was soon to follow.

Toph didn't bother to stand up or even face Katara. "Nothing's wrong, Sugar Queen." She said. "Everything is just dandy." The sarcasm in her voice was a bit too noticeable. "You guys can keep playing with that little ball if you find it so interesting, I'll be over here taking a break."

Katara felt her anger start to creep up. She knew Toph was just trying to get on her nerves. Sokka and Aang knew that too and wisely stepped away from the routine argument that was about to take place.

"Is that so?" Katara said with a smirk. Toph could get on her nerves, that was true, but she was older and smarter than the little girl. Want it or not, Toph was still very spoiled and had much to learn about human relations. Truth be told, she was sometimes like an open book to Katara, and the waterbender knew how much it annoyed her to have it proven to her. "Cause I got the feeling that you're not very happy for Aang. Aren't you glad that your pupil is learning to bend metal like you?"

Toph laughed at the question. "You call that metalbending?" She mocked the Avatar. Aang was a bit offended by that, but decided to let it go. He didn't really have a place in that discussion. "All he can do is push the metal really hard."

Katara put her hands on her hips. She couldn't hold her frown and her motherly tone back anymore. "Well, if I remember well, that was pretty much your first lesson to him. Push a rock really hard."

Toph stopped being sarcastic and jumped into her aggressive tone too. She made a point to stand up and point a finger at Katara. "You can't compare ordinary earthbending with metalbending! They're on whole different levels."

Katara didn't let herself be intimidated by Toph's offensive stance. "On whole different levels? I suppose you're saying that you and Aang are on whole different levels too?" She took a step towards Toph. "That's why he can't metalbend?" Another step, this time Toph took a step back, which freaked the two boys out. Katara was getting to her on some level. "Well he just did, and if you were a little less spoiled and self-centered..."

The little earthbender started turning red. Sokka saw it as a bad sign and decided to intervene. "Uh... Katara..."

"Let me finish!" Katara cut him before he could even state his point. The scary thing was that she wasn't angry out of her mind or anything of the sort. In fact, she seemed very cool and her words were clearly fruit of calm thought. As a result, instead of irritated, she was being incisive. "Listen Toph, I know you like to think that you're the greatest earthbender in the world, and I know you're probably right, but you gotta realize that there's always a chance you'll find someone who's stronger, and if that happens, you gotta be ready, psychologically I mean."

Katara was too compelled in her speech to realize that beneath the blind girl's frown, tears were starting to form in her eyes. "Shut up, Katara! I mean it!" She threatened, Katara wasn't a bit intimidated, not even by the fact that Toph called her by her actual name. She kept talking.

"And I'm not trying to call you weak or anything. All I'm saying is that you're so full of yourself, you're so focused on how great you are sitting atop your mighty skills, that the slightest shake to that fantasy world knocks your whole world over." She kept on, now it was clear to the other three that Katara had been holding that speech inside her for sometime. "If you ever get beaten you might break down like you're sort of doing right now just because you might not be the only metalbender alive."

"What's up with Katara?" Aang discreetly asked his only male human companion.

Sokka shrugged. "Women... I guess it's that time of the month for her."

"Oh..." Aang didn't understand the meaning of that, but he thought it would make him look silly if he asked Sokka about it.

Katara didn't pay any attention to the boys. "I mean... Here is Aang..." She pointed at the young Avatar, who was a bit startled at being put in the middle of the bickering. "He's just starting to learn metalbending and instead of being happy for him, you're already feeling threatened. You're so obsessed with being independent, you just can't stand to think that Aang might soon be as good as you are, can..."

Katara couldn't finish her sentence. A hand came slapping across her face. The sound was loud and for a second it seemed as if time had stopped at the camp. The two girls had had some very physical fights in the past, but this slap seemed much more serious for some reason. Toph pointed her finger at Katara's face, not really staring at her, but of course, she didn't do staring. "You've got no idea what you're talking about, Sugar Queen. You can't just go making stuff up about people and start shouting it out as if you owned the truth."

When Katara finally broke out of the initial shock, Toph had her back to her and was walking away. "Why you..." Katara tried to run after the blind girl but was held back by Aang who realized it wouldn't be a good idea to let the fight go on.

"Toph, wait! Where are you... Oof!" Sokka tried to run after Toph, but she effortlessly knocked him down with a pillar of earth rising right into his chin.

"I'm going for a walk. You three just leave me alone." Toph said. The fact that she said that didn't surprise anyone, but the clear crying tone of her voice made the rest of the group stare at her back with a confused look.

"Did I go too far? I didn't mean to hurt her." Katara asked herself as the blind girl gained distance.

Sokka felt the need to step up. "Well... Some would say that words like spoiled and self-centered have a potential to be harmful." He said. "But I think you'd have made her cry even without using them."

Katara's shoulders fell. She wanted to tell Sokka to shut up for his inappropriate comment, but she couldn't really disagree with him._Where did all that come from? Did I really have so many held back things to say about Toph all this time?_

Aang, seeing that Sokka had only managed to make Katara feel worse, decided he should try and cheer her up. "Don't worry Katara, I'm sure she'll be fine in a while... You guys fight all the time right?" He grinned at her. Not his most sincere smile, but effective in making the southern waterbender feel a bit better. "That's just your way to show you love each other."

The mood became a bit lighter when Katara smiled a subtle smile towards the airbender. "Thanks Aang. I guess you're right... But even so..." She looked at Toph who was now very distant already. "I think she was really hurt this time..."

* * *

**A/N:**_ There you go. I actually liked this story a lot. I don't usually write out of the blue like this but, it turned out quite nice. In case you liked it too, I'll say that this fic isn't really a project for a story, it's just something that came out so I don't really have a plot in my head to go on, however, there's certainly room for continuing the story (actually, the story sort of begs to be continued) and I'm sure I'd enjoy it, so I will continue it if I get a positive response. It's up to you guys. _

_Thanks for reading and reviewing (If you do)._

_Bye_


	2. Chapter 2

Hey there again!

**A/N:** _Well, my story wasn't exactly what I'd call a hit, but I got some very nice reviews and a fair number of hits. Plus, you guys seemed to be unanimous in wanting me to finish it so, without further delays (With the exception of the disclaimer.), here it is:_

**Disclaimer: Do I own Avatar? No. Do I want to own Avatar? Maybe. Are you a stupid person if you though someone who owned Avatar would be writing fan fiction? Yeah, pretty much.**

"Character Talking"

Character Thinking

And the story:

**Avatar: The Last Airbender:** _Shattering_

The three remaining members of the team stared at the fire that now served the sole purpose of illumination.

The mood was gloom at the camp. No one felt like saying anything and the half eaten bowl of stew on the ground was enough to remind them why. Other than the burning wood, the only sounds that could be heard were Sokka's grunts as he tried to make his own hand shaped dents on the metal ball and an occasional noise from the distance that resembled a rock shattering in a hundred pieces. They accounted that sound to Toph.

"Do you think she'll come back to eat it?" Katara asked, staring at her bowl of stew but not touching it.

Aang wished he could answer positively, but the truth was that Toph coming back that night was very unlikely. After thinking a lot, he realized there wasn't anything he could say to answer Katara's question properly. That bothered him a lot.

Th waterbender sighed. "I guess not..."

"You could try and... Hmph... talk to her." Sokka said between grunts as he fought with the little ball. "In a nicer way that is."

"As if I could find her. If she doesn't want to talk to me me, I'll never get to her." Katara pointed out. Sokka didn't seem to be paying attention though, he was now trying to bite the ball, only to find that it was too small to fit in his mouth. Katara's eyebrows were twitching the boy. "Will you give up with that thing already? It was real bending, there's no way you can make a dent like that without bending."

Sokka didn't oblige to Katara's demand. "I'm sorry, but unlike you sorcerers, I'm a man of science. I need empirical proof." Katara glared at him causing the boy to loose his composure. "But I guess I got proof enough." He said, laughing uncomfortably and throwing the ball back to Aang. "Have fun buddy." Aang picked the ball, but he wasn't having any sort of fun at the time.

"Anyway..." Katara continued. "Why should I even look for her. I mean... even if I was a little insensitive..."

"A little?" Sokka raised an eyebrow, earning him another stare. He cowered again. "I mean... Please go on." He corrected himself nervously.

"Even if I was mean to her, the fact that she got so angry means I was right about her doesn't it?" She said.

Aang was a bit shaken by those words. "Isn't that a bit beyond the point now?" Sokka said, echoing the avatar's thoughts.

"No it's not." Katara said, standing up. She was starting to get excited like before. "Don't you see? She's doing exactly what I said she'd do. She's falling apart because she's being forced to face reality."

Aang was feeling more uncomfortable with every second that went by. He wished he could stop Katara from saying those things, but he didn't want to confront her either.

Sokka wasn't so happy either, but he was more than used to confronting his sister. "Yeah, you said that already. That's why Toph's gone and you've got a hand mark burning on your face." He said

"Can't you see where I'm getting at?" Katara said her hand gestures becoming more intense by the second. "This might actually be good for her! She could actually learn a lesson."

"And you get to be right once and for all." Sokka completed her trail of thought. "Face it, you and Toph are always at it. You just have to be on the right every time."

"That's not the point." The waterbender took a deep breath to calm herself. "Look, I know me and her are often fighting, but I really want her to be a better person. This thing right now may not be nice, but it's for the best. Don't you think so Aang?" She turned to the boy who'd stayed quiet during the discussion hoping he'd help her convince Sokka.

Aang looked up at Katara with a sad expression on his face. He didn't want to be angry at her, but he couldn't help it. _Why is she being like that? _Usually he'd go along with whatever she said, but this time it was so clear to him that she was wrong, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Eventually he stood up and made his way to where his glider rested. He picked it up and opened it without uttering a word.

"Aang, where are you going?" Katara asked, surprised by Aang's sudden actions.

"I'm going after Toph." Aang said, his voice far from intense.

The girl's blue eyes fell. "But I thought..."

The young avatar stared into the horizon, his back to the waterbender cause he didn't want to face her directly. He wished he didn't have to be in that situation. Going against Katara was the last thing he'd do, yet he had no choice. He had to do what was right. "Maybe you have a point. Maybe this is good for Toph, but I can't just sit here while my friend is hurt. I'm sorry Katara... "

The little boy flew away and disappeared into the night sky leaving a dumbfounded Katara behind.

**A/N:**_ It's kinda short, but it's the right size. More than this and I would have to start filling it with bullshit. _

_I'm sorry Kataangers out there. I really don't intend to make Aang hate Katara or anything of the sort. As a matter of fact I tried to be pretty clear in saying that he's feeling divided. I'll explore more of that latter so rest assured, things will settle down. In case you're wondering this is more of a Taang than anything else when it comes to shiping, but I'm not much into just pairing everybody up for the fun of it. Like I said before, I'm thinking this up as I write and though I already have a general idea of stuff that will happen next, some of it is still a mystery. I may end up actually pairing Toph and Aang, or just developing on their friendship, but that doesn't mean Aang will suddenly forget Katara and jump into Toph's arms, so if that's what you're looking for... sorry, wrong place. Also, just because I'll focus on the relationship between Toph and Aang, it doesn't mean I won't poke around with the other ones. Not every relationship needs to be romantic in order to be writing/reading material._

_Enough time wasting nonsense from me. Bye._


	3. Chapter 3

Hey!

**A/N: **Just a two year long pause between this and the previous chapter. That's nice, keeping a steady rhythm.

"Character Talking"

_Character Thinking_

And the story:

**Avatar: The Last Airbender: **_Shattering_

It wasn't hard for Aang to find the rampaging earthbender, she had a very loud way to relieve her anger, enough to scare every single animal in a 5 Km radius. The hard thing was figuring out how to approach her and what to say to her. Though after remembering all that had happened that day he figured he had a pretty good idea of why Toph was so mad. He just needed the right approach to help her, and he imagined he had a general idea of how get Toph to let it all out.

He landed on a rock keeping a safe distance from Toph and using his airbending to avoid being noticed by her. As he watched her punch huge rock walls and head butt giant boulders he realized he'd get seriously hurt if he ever fought the blind girl in such an angry state. That was another reason for him to think his words very well. _She might just decide to use me as a punching bag._ he thought.

He climbed down the rock, careful not to make any vibrations the ground. Using his bending he was able to get really close to Toph, enough to hear her cries of rage.

"Damn you Sugar Queen, if you think you can mock Toph Bei Fong like that and get away with it, I'll teach you better!" She shouted as she blew up another rock. Aang could tell from her shaky voice that she hadn't stopped crying yet. "And this one is to get that goofy smile off your face, Twinkle Toes!" She punched a rock the size of Aang's head, blowing it to pieces. Aang pictured his head in that spot and a shiver went down his spine.

_Is she really that mad just because I could metalbend?_

Aang watched for a few more minutes wondering how safe it would be to make himself known. He didn't see any openings to start a conversation that wouldn't end up with his head in the ground and Toph's foot over it.

It really bothered Aang to see her like that. He felt an uneasiness as if he was the one responsible. _I guess deep down I knew she would be like this, but I'm not really sure why._ He reflected. _Anyway, I'm partially responsible for this, and even if I wasn't, it's just wrong to watch my friend cry and do nothing. _

Toph finally took a break out of exhaustion and sat down on a broken tree stump, panting hard. Her head was hanging low and Aang could tell she was sobbing.

Seeing no other way around it he decided to make his presence known and hope for his safety.

"Huh… Toph?" He timidly called her and immediately regretted it. Toph was so shocked to hear his voice that she let out a loud yelp. However, her scared face soon turned into a frown. She stood up to level herself up with Aang.

"Twinkle Toes!" She yelled in anger, nervously wiping the tears from her face. "How long have you been here? And How did you get so close without me noticing? Were you spying on me?" She was angry, but she was clearly embarrassed too. Toph wasn't very keen on being seen on her moments of weakness.

"I'm really sorry Toph, I just wanted to talk, I swear!" Aang hastily said remembering the head sized rock being shattered to pieces by Toph's hand. He held his hands in front of him and closed his eyes expecting an attack from the earthbender but nothing happened. To his surprise Toph only let out a sigh and replied in a calm voice.

"Relax, I'm not in the mood to fight you." She said sitting back down.

Aang opened one eye slowly, still feeling a bit scared for himself, but upon seeing that Toph was now in a more relaxed stance he let himself loose the tension too. "So... Are you feeling better now?"

"Not really." The blind girl replied. "But I guess I'm too tired to be angry."

"Oh…" Aang wasn't sure what to say. He stood there for a while in silence. _How come she seems so calm all of a sudden? _He wondered. _Wasn't she crying just a minute ago? Her face is still swollen. Maybe I have to rethink my approach._

Toph was starting to get annoyed by the boy's quietness. "So, do you have something to say Twinkle Toes? Or were you just stalking me?" She patted the spot next to her on the stump. "Go ahead, sit down and say whatever you got to say. I don't bite you know."

Aang hesitated a bit, he didn't expect her to be so receptive to conversation. _A couple of minutes ago I wouldn't be so sure about the biting part._ Finally he gave in and took a seat. "I'm sorry I sneaked up on you." He said, intending to start the talk on her good side.

Toph frowned. "You better be. I won't let it slide so easily the next time." Aang shivered. From the tone of her voice he knew she meant it.

Aang cleared his throat to make sure the fear of getting beat up wouldn't show up in his voice, after all Toph was one to pick up easily on one's faltering voice. "I'm sorry I saw you crying too." He said. "I promise I won't tell anyone."

Toph blushed. That was a rare sight for Aang. He thought it was kind of cute to see the tough girl's soft side once in a while, but he wondered if he wasn't poking her wounds a bit too hard. "I… Thanks, I guess." She mumbled, looking very embarrassed about herself. "I'm sorry I mocked your metalbending too. I noticed you've been practicing that a lot lately, I'm actually pretty proud of you, even if it was pathetic bending."

Aang smiled softly. "Thanks, that really means a lot to me Toph."

The girl turned her face away. "Whatever."

They sat there in silence for a while more, none of the two really sure whether they were on good terms yet. This time the silence lasted much longer. Both of the children reflected as best as they could on what had really happened that day. Aang stared at the stars while Toph tapped her feet on the ground repeatedly. It was her way of looking at what was going on around her.

Finally Aang felt he had to finish what he had started and help Toph sort out her thoughts. He'd gotten the feel of the situations and decided he was ready to put his talking skills into action. "Hey, Toph."

"What is it Twinkle Toes?"

"You know, while we're on this journey, all we got is each other." He said staring at a pebble on the ground. "And if we can't rely one on the other, then we're going to be all alone."

Toph raised an eyebrow. "So… what's your point?" She asked. Aang noticed that she didn't have her usual attitude in her tone of voice. She seemed more calm and pensive. It was almost like she wanted to hear what he had to say rather than just get it over with so she could leave.

"I mean, if there's something bothering you, you shouldn't keep it bottled up inside. Maybe we can help you feel better." Aang replied. He showed her his best smile. "All you gotta do is tell us what's in your mind."

"What's on my mind?" Toph took her feet off the ground and laid down on the stump. Aang found that very weird, she rarely ever broke her only means of sight out of free will. "Right now my mind is set on giving Katara a lesson for butting in other people's business." She said punching her palm to show she meant her words. Toph waited for a response but Aang said nothing. She couldn't feel his vibrations either so she didn't really know his reaction, that was in itself annoying. "So, I've said what's on my mind. You wanna help me feel better? I don't think you've got it in you to fight Katara."

Aang sighed and stood up. _Time to launch the bait. _ "If you think fighting her will make you feel better you might as well keep beating up those rocks cause that's just another way for you to escape your real problem." He said in a serious tone that didn't please Toph at all.

"You're sounding just like her. Gah!" She raised her hands in exasperation. "Do you people think you're my counselors or something?"

Aang started walking away. "We're your friends Toph. I was worried cause you were crying but you're better already. If you don't want to talk about what's bothering you then I'll just go back to the camp."

"Oh, so you think you know better than me about my problems, is that it?" Toph asked, putting her feet back on the ground so she could see the boy. "You guys are what bother me! God, you're worse than my parents sometimes."

The young avatar kept walking away. "Suit yourself, if you wanna talk about it I'm always available." _It's working. I'm getting on her nerves._

"About what? What do you think bothers me so much that I wouldn't tell you?" Toph was now following right behind Aang and was getting as irritated as she was with Katara.

"I don't know, but it's not Katara. I noticed you were irritated before talking to her already. You got irritated during the training." Aang calmly pointed out. "I'd think about letting it out already cause you're only hurting yourself Toph."

Suddenly realization hit Toph, she stopped dead on her tracks and stood in disbelief. "You actually agree with Katara don't you? You think I'm intimidated by your metalbending."

Aang stopped walking too, he smiled inwardly, proud of his successful plan. _She bit the bait. Now we're getting somewhere._ "Maybe I do." He said, his tone of voice a bit smug. _I just have to push her a bit more._

"Listen, I don't get intimidated by anyone. If anything, thinking that there might be a stronger earthbender somewhere makes my blood boil in excitation." She cried out in her defense. "I thought you knew me better, Twinkle Toes."

_And now the check-mate. _Aang turned around and faced the blind girl. "If you were not intimidated, then what was it about me metalbending that made you so mad?"

Aang felt a bit sorry for Toph, even if he knew deep down he was helping her, the way her face went from earthbending rage to childish pouting was heartbreaking. She was holding up her fists and clenching her teeth. For a few seconds she had nothing to say. Suddenly, her muscles relaxed and she turned away. "Nevermind. It's not your problem anyway."

Aang could tell she was starting to cry again. _Keep at it Aang. _He told himself as he followed Toph. "Toph, wait."

"Leave me alone!" She yelled earthbending several pillars of earth to hit her chaser. Unfortunately Aang was a difficult target to hit. She couldn't get him off her tail.

Aang kept giving chase. "I just want to talk Toph." He used a gust of air to jump towards the blind girl. They collided and went to the ground. To the boy's surprise, however, Toph didn't get try to escape anymore, she just laid down defeated. "I'm sorry." He said standing up. "But you and I have to clear this up now."

Toph turned her body so she was lying on her back. Aang could see she still had water in her eyes and cheeks. "You know, I feel pretty pathetic right now." She said.

"You're not pathetic Toph. You're the greatest earthbender alive." He extended his hand to help her up. "And you're a great friend too."

Toph took the hand, but the words hadn't done much to change her mood. She earthbended a rock bench for them to sit on. "I'm not really mad because you can metalbend." She said. Seeing that she'd decided to talk, Aang sat beside her and gave her all his attention. "I usually get very excited when I see you making progress, but now you're reaching my level. Soon I won't have anything more to teach you. I mean, I thought I was a gifted but you… You're a genius, no, more than that."

Aang blushed. "It's not like that, you're much better than me at earthbending."

"Yeah, but for how long?" Toph started to fiddle with her feet. "But like I said, I don't really mind you being better than me. You're the avatar after all, right? You're _supposed _to be the best."

"Then what…"

"I'll get there, calm down." Toph said pressing her finger against Aang's lips to silence him. "Did you know that my father kept my existence a secret from the world? Only a few selected people were aware that he had a daughter."

Aang felt really bad hearing that. He remembered hearing that the Bei Fong's didn't have a daughter, but he'd never thought about that from Toph's point of view. "Yeah, I knew that."

"I never really cared for that. When I was a kid I was too naive to understand it, and once I learned earthbending and started to sneak out of my house I was already tough enough to take care of myself." She said. "But recently, traveling with you guys, I started to understand everything I missed out while I was locked in that mansion, and the effect it had on me."

"But you're free now."

"Let me finish!" She retorted with annoyance. Aang meekly nodded in apology. Toph couldn't see it but she moved on anyway. "As I was saying, I grew up completely alone, and my parent's never really cared much for me. I never knew what it meant to have friends and relationships of any kind. Socially, I was a vegetable."

Aang felt Toph's pain resonate deep within him. He recalled his friends and masters at the Air Temple and realized he couldn't imagine growing up without them by his side. "That's terrible. You must have been very lonely."

Toph shook her head. "I wasn't. I mean, I didn't know anything else apart from that. I felt curious about meeting people other than my parents and the servants, but I didn't feel lonely. It was something so distant from my reality…" She paused to recollect her trail of thought. "Then I met the badger-moles that taught me earthbending. That was the first time I had ever had someone pay attention to me for who I am and not treat me like some frail object. Thanks to them I understood that I didn't have to let my blindness limit me like my father said. That's when the Toph you know was born."

"So you wanted to meet more people because you'd gotten a taste of what it was like to have friends, that's why you created the blind bandit." Aang concluded.

Toph smirked. "Yeah, I guess you could put it that way, but back then I was more concerned about the fighting and the earthbending. I mean even as the blind bandit, people still saw me as an object. Nobody really cared for me." She said. "To tell you the truth, I guess that was my own fault. I didn't trust people, I never did. I did my best to avoid getting close to anybody. I had the badger-moles to keep me company and I was having fun at the tournaments. I was content with my life." She paused for a bit. "But then you guys came."

"Now that you mention it, you really didn't care much for us at first." Aang pointed out.

Toph sighed. "Yeah, I just wanted you to leave so I could go back to the spotlight in the tournament." She said. "But after that fight we had at the dinner table in my house, I was feeling so excited… It was the first time I wanted to get to know someone better like that, so I sucked up my pride and called up a truce with you guys. I wasn't even considering running away to travel with you, I was just curious. You seemed different from the people I'd met up to that point. You seemed fun."

Aang grinned. "Well, I am the avatar after all."

Toph snickered. "That's not what I meant. When we were fighting, I felt the same way I did with the badger-moles. It was as if the loneliness would go away. I mean, all of a sudden I realized how lonely I'd been and how terrible that was." She started to look sad. "This empty feeling has been with me ever since."

"But you got us now. You know you can always count on us." Aang said trying to cheer the girl up.

Toph kept her sad expression. "I know that. But, whenever I see you guys talking about the past and all the people you've had in your life I feel distant. I feel that I'm different from you. I was raised alone, that's how I learned to live. I'm a loner by nature…" She sighed. "But not by choice."

The two sat there in silence once more. Aang was shocked to see such a delicate side of Toph. He wasn't expecting her to be so open about her feelings. Considering his words well, he placed his hands over hers gently. She didn't show any reaction.

"Toph, you shouldn't let your past haunt you like that, you've met so many people just like we did. I mean, all I have today are the people I met while travelling with you guys too." Aang stared pensively at the stars. "Everyone I knew while growing up is gone."

"I'm sorry, I know I can't compare my problems with what you went through." Toph said sincerely. "It's just… I was able to overcome even this blindness, but I feel like I'll never be able to overcome this feeling of distance from other people. It's like I'm always pushing myself away, I can't help it." Tears started to fall from her blind eyes and her voice lost its firmness once more. "And when I'm training you, that's our thing you know. I mean, we're both putting our hearts into this together and everyday you make so much progress. It's probably the most exciting thing that I've ever done and... The loneliness goes away whenever I think about it." For a split second, she let a smile form beneath her tears. "That's why when I think about it ending, I can feel the emptiness staring at me. And the closer it gets the more despair I…" She couldn't finish. Her crying overcame her.

Aang had to fight the urge to cry too. Seeing Toph say all those things was heartbreaking. He squeezed her hand to show her a bit of empathy. "So, you were nervous because when you saw me metalbending you thought that soon I won't need a teacher anymore." He stated, finally comprehending the girl's grief.

Toph nodded timidly, as if she was embarrassed to admit it. "I always knew that this thing was temporary. I just thought I'd have more time to enjoy it, but it went by so fast, I'm not ready to leave it behind. I guess I'm addicted to being your sifu." Toph chuckled at herself while constantly wiping the ever flowing tears. "How stupid is… H-hey!" Toph was caught by surprise when Aang embraced her and put her head on his chest. Her body stiffened, she could feel her cheeks burning up. "T-Twinkle Toes?"

Aang gently put one hand on the back of her head. "I know you're scared, but that's because this is all new to you. I see how confident you are when it comes to fighting and how awkward you get when I'm just hugging you." He said. "I guess that training me was sort of your way of having a relationship but with one foot on the fighting and that made you feel more secure about these new experiences." Toph started to relax. She found that position quite comforting. "The monk's taught me that everything in life passes and that's why we shouldn't get attached to things, and the key to doing that was realizing that for everything that we lose to the past, there is something we gain from the present. Even if I learn everything you have to teach me, we still have our whole lives ahead and there's a lot that we can do together. You just have to have faith in yourself and believe in the future, Toph. Think of how much you've changed in the couple of months you've been with us."

"But what if things don't turn out so nice?" Toph asked. "What if I go back to being alone?"

"Then I'll personally visit you every day and we'll train together. And when you get tired of that I'll find something new for us to do together, over and over again for how long it's necessary."

Toph's tears were coming out faster now. She buried her face in the young avatar's chest. "Aang?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry you have to be a crutch for a socially crimpled girl."

"No sweat. You know, I'm a big fan of our training sessions too."

"Can we stay like this for a while longer?"

"Sure, take as long as you want."

Toph let her crying get louder and Aang stood like a rock, just serving as support for the girl. His robes soon became soaked in tears. When she thought she could control herself a bit more she spoke up.

"Aang?"

"Yeah?"

"You're a really cool guy. I'm glad I decided to travel with you… And, uh… Thanks for everything, the stuff you said and being there for me, I really appreciate it. So promise me we're gonna be friends forever. I don't want to go back to my old life."

"I'm glad you're here with us too Toph." Aang smiled inwardly. "And it's a promise."

After a few minutes more the girl seemed to be stable once again. Lifting her head, Toph stood up from the improvised earth bench and cleaned the dust from her butt. "I'm feeling much better already. I guess I just needed to get that all out of my system. I'll go back and try to pretend that nothing's happened. You coming?"

Aang shook his head. "I think I'll stay here a bit more."

"Suit yourself Twinkle Toes." The girl turned around to leave but stopped midway. "Oh, I almost forgot." She moved closer to Aang. "This is a warning shot, to make sure you never mention this conversation to nobody. Ever!" She kicked the boy right in the shin.

"Ah! That hurt, why did you..." Aang lost his trail of thought however when Toph leaned close to his face and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Uh…" He blushed, but more than embarrassed he was shocked to see such a gesture from Toph. _The Toph!_

"This is to say thanks." She turned her back to him. "And for earth's sake, next time you're out to comfort crying girls, take a bath first, you stink Twinkle Toes!"

Aang grinned, rubbing the back of his head. Just like that, the old Toph was back. "I guess I'm still a bit sweaty." He said sheepishly.

"You bet you are. Goodnight Twinkle Toes."

Toph walked away leaving Aang alone to reflect while lying down and staring at the stars. That night he couldn't get the blind girl out of his mind. He'd always known she wasn't the kind that showed her real feelings all the time, but he had no idea of what was coming to him when he decided to make her open up.

_I guess it was a nice surprise._ He thought. _She has a cute side to her after all._

He recalled the kiss she'd given him. When he tried to picture it however, his mind deceived him. An image of her kissing him on the lips popped up in his head. He enjoyed it for a while before widening his eyes in realization. "What was that?" He asked himself out loud.

He looked around to see if there really wasn't anybody nearby and furtively returned his thoughts to that image. _Just a bit more and I'll go back to camp._

**THE END**

**A/N: **Much too talking and too little fluff? Maybe, but I was going more for the _understanding Toph_ story anyway so I liked the way it turned out. I might continue this or not, I'm still deciding, but don't get your hopes too up.


End file.
